Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Training runs and an Escape

I've been having a great time exploring trails in the southern Bay Area. There are so many! I keep finding new parks, other green spaces with trails, different views. I'm amazed at how many miles of trails exist around here.

My latest discovery is Rancho San Antonio. Kip and I climbed up to Black Mountain last Saturday. Checking out Mountain View on the way back down:

Sunday was something different. We like puzzle games but haven't experienced many versions outside urban racing (or video adventure games like Myst or Tex Murphy). When we heard about "Escape From the Walled City" we were intrigued. Not the least because it was held inside AT&T Park with a couple thousand people.

I'm always interested in seeing sports stadiums, and as much as I like watching sports, finding other reasons to visit the parks is even better (and usually cheaper).

A picturesque park on the water:

The field was easily large enough to handle the big crowd and we had plenty of room. The organizers did an awesome job putting this together, with good communication, top-quality solving materials, and interesting puzzles.

A couple of the volunteers and play actors:

Getting ready for the start:

Obligatory selfie:

The game itself was a blast. We solved 3 out of 4 of the puzzles and had some good ideas on the last one but ran out of time. It was great fun running around the field, into the stands, back and forth trying to figure things out. They even encouraged us to "Run!" They are doing the same game in LA and NYC this year, I highly recommend trying it.

Yesterday I used one of Kip's training ideas and did a long run around the south end of the Bay, taking the Dumbarton Bridge to cross the water. It is a most excellent route. And I'm so happy that I'm finally able to train "for real" after so many stops and starts last year.

The marshes near highway 101:

Pipeline just south of the bridge:

A fun little obstacle:

View of railroad tracks from the bridge:

Nice bike path along the bridge:

Not sure what this is but it was interesting enough for a photo:

Spring has started - there actually are faint seasons here, you just have to pay attention to see the signs:

An odd ghost town in the middle of nowhere:

Not sure who had the bright idea to build a town in the middle of the marshes: